As the 2016 presidential election drew to a close, Donald Trump began using a new slogan: “Drain the Swamp.” It summed up his criticism of Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Rat and the establishment of national governance of both sides which he viewed as corrupt, friendly, and self-managing.
Nowadays, poetry has begun to disappear from his repertoire. last month The Washington Post calculate Trump has used it “just 59 times on Truth Social, his social media site, in the past two years.” That’s less than what he wrote about it on Twitter in October 2016 alone.” The change isn’t just semantics. Trump’s Staffing Decisions transition design and his own behavior It shows that he is not interested in continuing to appear this time. Trump himself would not say that word. But the tenets of his second term are gaining traction: Fill the swamp.
The best evidence is who Trump is hiring for top positions: Susie Wiles, who oversees Trump’s 2024 campaign, is a registered lobbyist. That is, until she was appointed White House chief of staff after the election. She joined the Florida-based firm, Ballard Partners, in 2011, where she lobbied for several clients in 2018. political magazine called Brian Ballard, company founder “Trump’s most powerful lobbyist in Washington” (Ballard I just told you. The New York Times Wiles’ work at his company is mostly strategy and messaging. than traditional lobbying)
Ballard Partners’ footprints stretch through the west wing, says Pam Bondi, Trump’s new nominee for attorney general. Used to work at this company as well. After stopping to serve as Attorney General of the State of Florida Her clients there include the government of Qatar, Amazon and Uber, said Sean Duffy, Trump’s pick for transportation secretary. Have worked as a lobbyist for another company In August, Trump told Theo Vaughan Podcast“You need to stop listening to lobbyists.” That should start with a simple step: Don’t hire lobbyists as your own administration staff.
But it’s not just lobbyists. Trump also singled out many people who come from government-controlled industries or do business with. As journalist David Dayen put it onTrump’s transition team and pre-appointments are full of people. The list includes Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, CEO of financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald; Linda McMahon, former head of World Wrestling Entertainment. and current nominee to lead the Education Department and Scott Bessent, nominee to the Treasury Department. who is a hedge fund mogul
More notable is Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and a major government contractor who previously served as “Co-chairman” or “first friendTrump says he was appointed to co-lead a committee that cannot be held accountable. (though perhaps toothless) to review government spending and increase efficiency where he can find ways to punish his rivals or make himself richer
The Trump team is being built in the leader’s image. His first term was Despite the campaign slogan But it was full of chaos. He declined to release tax records. This is in contrast to previous presidents. He refused to withdraw from his business or hold it in anything resembling an unreasonable trust. Instead, he opened a luxury hotel near the White House. It became a great place to spend money and was preferred by anyone wanting to connect with Trump. Including representatives of foreign governments. Trump spent four years forcing the Secret Service to stay at his residence. Charged at exorbitant rates and mislead the public about this matter. lobbying industry Boom—at least for the hundreds of former lobbyists who Not working yet in administration
Today the Trump Hotel is gone. But almost everything has gotten worse. During Trump’s first transition At least he felt the need to go through the motions of distancing himself from his business. Even if the plan is a scam. This time, he didn’t dare do anything like that. He now has a key role in Truth Social, a media company whose stock fluctuates in direct correlation to his fortunes and political actions. His son is already involved in cryptocurrency investments that he can promote in 2017. Make a promise that his business will not enter into new foreign agreements; while he held office But it did a lot while he was out. And he made no new commitments this time. His son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is said to not be joining the White House for Trump’s second term, but he is involved. change– Kushner has spent the past four years making major deals overseas.
Trump has also dragged his feet in agreeing rules for his transition. He finally reached an agreement on November 26, but it still fell short of standards. determined by past agreements– (Trump also opposes regular FBI background checks for nominees and appointees.) In particular The deal avoids government assistance on cyber security. office space and funding. The campaign offered a positive response to the matter in a statement. “The changes will not use taxpayer funds for costs associated with the changes. This aligns with President Trump’s commitment to saving taxpayers’ hard-earned money.” However, this does mean what the changes do and who funds them—with the influence that might come with them. That thing—Hidden from taxpayers– What citizens save in dollars They lose basic responsibility.
Even during the 2016 campaign, Trump once told a crowd he was confused. “Drain the swamp” is the mantra. “This is the phrase. I told you I don’t like it,” he told the crowd in Raleigh. North Carolina before the election “I thought it was hockey.” Now he had clearly decided that the idea of draining the swamp was also nonsense.
